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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24089797">Stars and Lightning</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/abbyneedstochill/pseuds/abbyneedstochill'>abbyneedstochill</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sanders Sides (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Astronomy, Birthday Party, Clueless gays, Fluff, Human AU, I Tried, Idiots in Love, M/M, Stargazing, Storms, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Wholesome nerds, analogical - Freeform, good friendships, inspired by a song, meteor showers, sorta slow burn, space</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:13:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,670</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24089797</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/abbyneedstochill/pseuds/abbyneedstochill</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Virgil and Logan go watch a meteor shower together, sparking some confusing feelings. </p><p>This is just a rather elaborate way to talk about how much I love astronomy and analogical.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Analogical - Relationship, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>82</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Stars</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This fic was loosely based off Hazel by Cavetown, which is just such a beautiful song. There's also a playlist I used to write along, if you're interested in listening to that, then here you go: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3FnrQDp7b4nZyb11EB8Ywi?si=EHEkZN_gTfWoAlotg5w84g">Stars and Lightning</a><br/> </p><p>I hope you like this, enjoy :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>December is one of the best months for stargazing. The winter nights are not only longer, but also clearer because of the cold and dry weather.<br/>
Out of all the spectacular night views that the month of December offers, a favourite of any stargazer, amateur or professional, is the geminid meteor shower. One of the most prominent showers in the northern hemisphere, the ideal conditions make it a sight one cannot miss.</em>
</p><p>Logan was quite excited, which was odd. He wasn’t usually the enthusiastic one, but Virgil knew how he felt about astronomy. Logan was the kind of person to stay up till four in the morning because he couldn’t look away from the stars. He could spend hours on end talking about the history of astronomy and how the scientists developed the knowledge they have today. Logan loved to explain things, but the cosmos brought a unique light into his eyes. One word about space and Logan would turn into a child again.<br/>
Logan had been going on about the meteor shower for weeks, just like he did every year. The difference was that they were out camping during the geminids this year. They were away from the city, under a sky that would light up with more stars than could be counted once the sun went down. It was Logan’s idea of paradise.<br/>
Logan suggested that the two of them should go to sleep so they could enjoy the night sky without feeling too tired. They would miss the sunset, but it was alright. To Logan, it was absolutely worth it.</p><p>It was around one-thirty when Logan shook Virgil awake. Virgil wasn’t thrilled at the idea of losing his precious sleep, but this meant a lot to Logan. He pushed himself out of the sleeping bag. Logan was waiting at the front of Virgil’s tent, pointing a flashlight at him.</p><p>“I’ve got coffee,” Logan said, holding up the flask in his hand “in case you get drowsy, but you might want to hydrate first.” Virgil pushed himself up and Logan passed him a water bottle. The only light in the room was from Logan’s flashlight, but that was enough to make out his mood. He wore a goofy grin. His free hand was tapping against his thigh in excitement. His glasses needed to be pushed back, his hair was messy, and he didn’t seem to notice at all.<br/>
“Easy there, L. You look like you’re about to explode.” Virgil chided, reaching for a water bottle. Logan chuckled lightly.<br/>
“I just might.” He said softly. “Ready?”<br/>
“Sure,” Virgil replied, standing up. Logan waited for Virgil to walk to the front and then went outside.</p><p>The first thing he noticed was how dark it was. In front of him, the trees and the rocks and the path in front of him seemed to have blended into one black canvas. It was unsettling and at first, Virgil wanted to go back into the tent and sit there with the lantern until the sun rose. Then, he decided to look up.<br/>
Virgil didn't get out of the city very often and he hadn't been camping since he was eight. A true starry sky wasn't something he had ever seen before.<br/>
The stars seemed so much bigger out on the field. They were bright, and there were so many of them. He had read somewhere that the stars were simply holes poked into the surface of the night sky and that their light came from heaven. Looking at the sky then, it was very easy to believe why. The stars looked like they had to have been made with all the care and love the universe had to offer and to think that they just existed was incredible. In the truest, most complete sense of the word, they were beautiful.</p><p>"Holy shit." Virgil breathed out. He couldn't tell in the darkness but next to him, Logan smiled.<br/>
"It never gets old" Logan's voice sounded softer than it usually did. He sounded like he was smiling "To the right"<br/>
They walked over to where Logan had laid out a picnic blanket and sat down. Logan pulled out a laser pointer and aimed it at a point in the sky to their right.<br/>
"Do you know what that is?" He asked his companion.<br/>
"Uh, no?" Virgil answered.<br/>
"Well, that's Castor and this one," he moved the pointer below the first star "is Pollux. Do you recognize the names?"<br/>
"The twins?"<br/>
"Correct!" he moved the pointer through a series of points that Virgil couldn't make out very well "Those two stars are associated with the constellation Gemini." he turned off the pointer and continued talking "the radiant, or the point where all the meteors come from, lies within it, hence the name 'geminids'."<br/>
"Why do you have a laser pointer?" Virgil asked. Logan blinked a couple of times.<br/>
"Well, it's a handy tool to have while stargazing" he replied "you can point things out without drowning out the starlight"<br/>
"Huh, smart." Virgil heard Logan mutter something about how he didn't come up with the idea. "How do the meteors form?"<br/>
Virgil's eyes were starting to adjust to the dark, but he couldn't make out any details of Logan's expression. Still, he knew that Logan was probably making that face he made when he was excited about something, with his eyes widened and the corner of his mouth curling up into a smile.<br/>
"That's a great question, Virgil." He replied, enthusiastically "The geminids are one of the only meteor showers that don't form because of comets. There's an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon with a slightly comet-like orbit. Some fragments break off when it passes by the earth. They burn up when they enter the atmosphere, and we see them as meteors."</p><p>Virgil tried to think of something to say when he was cut off by an exclamation from Logan.<br/>
"Oh!" Virgil could make out Logan pointing his finger at their sky, towards the right. "Did you see it?"<br/>
"Nope, maybe-" Virgil was distracted by something bright streaking across the sky. It disappeared too quickly for him to react "Oh, wow"<br/>
"The rate of meteor sightings should be peaking around now."<br/>
"They're so fast." He said under his breath just as another meteor streaked across the sky, causing Virgil to hold his breath for a second. "How am I supposed to make a wish when I can barely see them?"<br/>
"Well, wishing upon a meteor won't make it come true,” Logan answered, “So I suppose the answer to that is that you don’t.”<br/>
Virgil chuckled in response.</p><p>They sat there for a little over two hours, time that felt like nothing at all. It felt like an eternity, but the good kind. Like time had frozen so the two of them could look at the stars.<br/>
Logan broke the silence now and then with little bits of trivia that Virgil would probably forget soon, but was fascinated by anyway. For the most part, the night was quiet in the most comfortable sense of the word. The two of them had known each other long enough to be alright simply being in each other’s company.<br/>
Virgil found it strangely calming. He wasn’t particularly scared of the dark. On the contrary, he had always felt strangely comforted by it. Looking at the sky, it was very easy for him to feel small. There were too many stars, too much stuff in the universe. He was one person on one planet in one part of the universe, he wasn’t very special. Some part of his brain told him that he should feel uncomfortable. The universe was too vast, too full, and somehow too empty at the same time. In defiance of everything he thought he should feel, Virgil had been quite calm that night. Despite its ridiculous vastness, the universe was quite beautiful. It was a quiet, peaceful night and he was with one of his best friends. Things were alright.</p><p>“It’s too bad the others had to miss this” Logan had tried to get all four of them together on the trip but the other two couldn’t make it. Roman was visiting his aunt Patty over the weekend and Patton had fallen sick. Logan had ordered him to stay in bed and get some rest.<br/>
“True, but there will be other showers,” Logan replied. He paused before speaking again “It’s good having you here, though.”<br/>
“Is it, really?” Virgil asked, half-expecting Logan to make some sort of joke.<br/>
“It is.” Logan answered, “I like having you around.”<br/>
Virgil didn’t know how to respond. His friends meant the world to him, and he treasured their company but he never really knew how to respond to any real compliments.<br/>
“I like having you around too, L.” He said, after a period of silence just a hair away from turning awkward.</p><p>Neither of them was sure of the time when Logan suggested they go back. They couldn’t see any meteors anymore and he figured that it would probably do them good to get some sleep. Virgil didn’t feel very tired for the whole time they were outside; taking a nap earlier and sipping on coffee all night had done him good, but it only took Logan saying the word “sleep” for him to notice the heaviness in his muscles, forcing him to listen to Logan and go to sleep. He muttered a goodnight to his friend, pulled himself off the ground, and walked back to his tent to crash until the morning.</p><p>Virgil thought he was going to stay asleep for all of eternity but, much to annoyance, he was wide awake at around quarter to seven. He decided to pull himself out of the sleeping bag and walked outside. If he wasn’t going to be able to sleep, he might as well catch the sunrise.<br/>
Unexpectedly, he noticed a familiar figure outside. It seemed as if Logan had the same idea. His back faced Virgil. His hair was messy and he hadn't bothered to fix it, probably because he wasn't expecting company.</p><p>"Morning, Logan." Virgil greeted, walking up to stand next to him. Logan turned around and smiled in response, his eyes followed Virgil as he walked up next to him.<br/>
"Why are you awake?" He asked.<br/>
"Not sure," Virgil replied, nonchalantly "I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. What about you?"<br/>
"Never fell asleep." He answered, "I couldn’t stop thinking."<br/>
"What were you thinking about?" Logan smiled to himself for a second, as if he had forgotten that Virgil was right next to him.<br/>
"Nothing important." He finally answered. Virgil knew that Logan was quite obviously lying, but he didn't push. The sky was still mostly a dark shade of blue, with some streaks of orange starting to appear in the sky.</p><p>Standing next to Logan as the sun rose, Virgil felt strangely light. He wasn't sure, some part of him felt anxious. Anxiety was a constant struggle for him; even if it had been getting better, he was almost always on edge. He had gotten quite good at recognizing the way his body felt almost ghost-like, too light to feel real.<br/>
This was different, in a way he couldn't understand.</p><p>Beams of yellow light started to rise from the horizon. <em>Sunrises are so much softer than sunsets</em>, Virgil thought to himself. He wondered if there was a reason. There probably was, and Logan would probably know. He didn’t ask him. He kept silent, taking in the view.<br/>
Virgil felt a sense of calm, despite the discomfort in his chest. He had barely gotten any sleep, and he knew he would probably crash once he got home. Home was where he was at his most comfortable, where he felt the safest. Virgil wanted to be home but somehow, he didn’t want to go. He felt surprisingly awake, he was present and he didn’t want that to change. He didn’t want to go just yet.<br/>
A part of him, one that he did not fully acknowledge or understand at the time, was starting to demand attention. Maybe it had been there all night, maybe even longer. All he knew is that it wanted him to stay; frozen in time, right where he was.<br/>
It wanted him to stay for as long as he could.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I've been working on this since the end of January and I only just finished it, which is fun. Also, I figured we all needed some wholesomeness after the svs redux.<br/>I'll post chapters every couple of days (and will hopefully not forget)<br/>Shoutout to my dumbass best friend Shay for being the first person to read all of this and being super enthusiastic about it, and also for sending me suggestions when I needed it. </p><p>Let me know what you think!<br/>Have a good day :)<br/>-Abby</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. And</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Logan has a complicated conversation with Roman and the group get together for Virgil's birthday</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p><strong>Content Warning:</strong> This chapter contains some brief descriptions of (responsible) alcohol consumption towards the end. If you think you might feel uncomfortable with that, please be careful.</p><p>Take care, and enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Logan wasn't sure why, but when Roman got back to town, the first thing he did was pick up the phone and call him. The conversation drifted between topic to topic, before Roman finally asked Logan how “his geeky meteor thing” had gone. </p><p> </p><p>"It was quite fun!" He answered, "It's a shame you and Patton had to miss it."</p><p>"Did you bore Virge with space facts all night?” Roman teased.</p><p>“I don’t think they’re boring!” Logan argued. He could almost hear Roman rolling his eyes from the other end. “I was simply providing relevant details about astronomy.”</p><p>“Sure,” Roman replied.</p><p>“It was educational!” </p><p>“I believe you.” Roman laughed on the other end and Logan huffed, giving up on the argument. He went on to tell Roman about the rest of the night. </p><p> </p><p>Logan did have a good time with Virgil. Astronomy was something he had loved all his life, something that meant a whole lot to him. It was a subject he found comfort in, he liked knowing that no matter what, there was always something he didn’t know about out there. There was always something new he could learn. Whether or not the universe was infinite hardly mattered because, in the context of the limits of human perception, it might as well be. There would always be something new to learn. It gave him a purpose: to go out there and to get as close to knowing everything as he could ever get. He loved that. </p><p>To be able to share that with one of his best friends, someone that listened and seemed interested in what he had to say, well, it had been wonderful. </p><p> </p><p>“Well, it sounds like you guys had fun.” Roman said, “Although I’m sure my absence was devastating.” Logan rolled his eyes. </p><p>“On the contrary, I had quite a good time.” Logan countered “Virgil makes for excellent company so it was all good” </p><p>“Wow, ouch.” Roman replied, “Are you implying that I’m <em> not </em> excellent company?”</p><p>“Yes.” Logan tried his best to not laugh. “Virgil listens to my boring space facts, for one.”</p><p>“I listen to your boring space facts too-”</p><p>“And he doesn’t call them boring.”</p><p>“...touché” Roman admitted defeat “So the two of you just didn’t miss me at all, then?”</p><p>“Not much, I liked just having Virgil there.”</p><p>“Oh, you <em> liked just having Virgil there? </em>”</p><p>“I mean, I like spending time with him.” Logan didn’t seem to pick up on the teasing tone of Roman’s voice “I like having him around.”</p><p>“Huh.”</p><p>“And he’s smart, smarter than he’d ever give himself credit for” Logan wasn’t sure if he was just saying things to get Roman riled up anymore, but he continued “He’s a great listener and I like that about him and I mean, that entire night went pretty well, I liked being able to talk about astronomy with him, I guess...” His voice faltered. He wasn't entirely sure what he was saying anymore. </p><p> </p><p>Everything he said was true, he knew that much. He <em> did </em> think that Virgil was a great guy, and he <em> did </em> enjoy being with him. But it was more than that. He hadn’t fully been thinking about what he was saying and there was more to the story, something that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Roman seemed to get it before Logan did. </p><p> </p><p>“Well, someone’s in love.” Roman whistled. </p><p>“What?” Logan replied, defensively “I don’t know where you got that from but-”</p><p>“Logan, it’s alright.” Logan had no idea what Roman was talking about. He knew that he had said more than he meant to and he didn’t fully understand why he had phrased his words the way he did, but Roman was <em> obviously </em>jumping to a conclusion. </p><p>“I think I’d know if I was ‘in love’, as you put it, with my best friend,” Logan said incredulously. </p><p>“No, I don't think you would.” Roman chuckled and then paused for a moment. <em> What is that supposed to mean? </em> Logan thought “Logan, you do this thing where you try to logic your way out of everything you feel because they don’t always make sense to you.” <em> Well, that’s just because you </em> can <em> logic your way out of most things and it’s efficient- </em>“And you need to understand that sometimes, that’s just not how it works.’</p><p> </p><p>Logan didn’t reply, partly because he didn’t have anything to say but also because he didn’t want to admit that Roman wasn’t necessarily wrong. Feelings were difficult, and Logan did usually throw out the ones that didn’t make sense. He knew that was true, but he didn’t want to acknowledge it. </p><p>His thoughts shifted through the silence, making their way through Logan’s memories before landing in one place. Cool morning air and orange streaks against a dark blue. A familiar presence wearing a purple hoodie, standing next to him as the sky brightened.</p><p>“Logan, what are you thinking about?” The silence broke. Roman’s voice was softer than it usually was. </p><p>
  <em> The sunrise. </em>
</p><p>“We watched the sunrise.” Logan recalled “I couldn’t fall asleep, so I got up and went outside.” he continued, a lump forming in his throat “We missed the sunset, I thought I might as well make up for that. Virgil got up a while later.” Logan felt the corner of his lips start to move upwards into a smile.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “What were you thinking about?”  </em>
</p><p>Logan couldn’t sleep that night. He ordered Virgil to go and get some sleep and went back to his own tent. He felt rather tired and expected to fall asleep soon after lying down but his mind was far too awake. For some inexplicable reason, he kept replaying the night in his head. It <em> had </em>been a beautiful night. The sky was incredibly clear, perfect viewing conditions. It had been perfect, everything was great. The stars, of course, were as breathtaking as they always were. Logan loved the nights that he spent under the stars but something was unfamiliar about this one. </p><p>His mind replayed his conversations with Virgil over and over again. Every joke, every bit of banter, every fact that he shared, Virgil’s reaction to each of them. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get to sleep and for some reason, he felt lightheaded. His stomach felt like he was going down a rollercoaster. He spent a while wondering if he had eaten something weird. Eventually, he decided to get up, grabbed some of the leftover coffee, and went out to see if he could catch the sunrise.</p><p>When Virgil later asked Logan what kept him up, he didn’t know what to say. He thought about the previous night again, once again feeling a smile forcibly making its way onto his face. He considered just saying that he had been thinking about last night, but the thought made his chest feel tightened as if he was nervous which seemed odd to him. He had thought there was something wrong with him because he felt almost nauseated. He would have convinced himself of that if it wasn’t for the vague memory of him not being able to stop smiling. So instead, he just said that it wasn’t anything important. </p><p>Even <em> he </em> knew that was a lie. Because it <em> was </em> important to him. It was a night spent with one of his favourite people and the stars. It was filled with meteors and laughter. It was important to Logan, it had been the best night he had had in a while. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh <em> no. </em>” the realization finally hit Logan. There it was again, a tightness in his chest. Nervousness, confusion, a whole cocktail of emotions that Logan wasn’t familiar with but was terrified of nonetheless. He heard Roman laugh lightly on the other end.</p><p>“Logan, I’m going to be perfectly honest with you.” Roman sighed before he continued “You <em> definitely </em>have a thing for Virgil.”</p><p>“I…” Logan started to say something but the words wouldn’t come. Logan wasn’t stupid, he knew better than to argue with what was true and the truth was that Virgil was one of his best friends. Logan liked being with him, he liked talking to him. He had always felt like out of everyone he knew, Virgil understood him the best. He loved Virgil for all of that. That much was true. He didn’t know how to deal with the other half of his feelings about him </p><p>“Roman, I think you might be right.” Roman snorted in reply.</p><p>“I know,” He said, “It took you long enough.”</p><p> </p><p>*****</p><p> </p><p>Logan paced around his room on the evening of December 19th. It had been four days since the phone call with Roman, and he wasn’t quite done processing how he felt about the whole thing. Roman tried to convince him to just tell Virgil and get it over with, but there was no way Logan was going to go with that option. </p><p> </p><p>It’s not as if Logan had never had a crush before. This was just different. It had never felt like this. He had never expected to like Virgil as anything more than a friend. Virgil, with his floppy hair and his purple hoodies and his large headphones that he took everywhere. Virgil, with a sarcastic smile and edgy jokes and racoon eyeshadow that he claimed he wore ironically even though everyone close to him knew he loved that look. Virgil, one of his closest friends, someone he valued greatly. </p><p>He wondered how long he had been oblivious to how he felt. </p><p> </p><p>His phone rang. He glanced at it to see Roman’s name staring back at him. </p><p>“Hello?” Logan answered </p><p>“Alright, we’re here.” Roman told him “Hurry up.” </p><p>“I’m ready,” Logan replied, “I’ll be out in a minute.” He hung up the phone and put it in his pocket. He grabbed his keys and Virgil’s gift and left his apartment. It was Virgil’s birthday, Roman and Patton were picking him up. </p><p> </p><p>“Hi, Logan!” Patton greeted him “How have you been?”</p><p>“Alright.” Logan climbed into the back and shut the door “I hope you’re feeling better.”</p><p>“Thank you, Logan! I’m doing great” Patton answered, “How did that meteor thing go?” </p><p>“It went well,” Logan replied, trying to hold his thoughts back from drifting back to him and Virgil talking about the stars like they had been doing far too often for the past few days “I hope the two of you can come along next time.”</p><p>“We’d love to! I’m glad you and Virgil had a good time!” Patton said. </p><p>“Yeah, at least they still had loads of fun without us.” Roman said, turning around with a smirk “Right?”</p><p>“Sure.” Logan agreed, making a mental note to snip at Roman later. </p><p>“I’ve got the cake covered!” Patton held up a white box, seemingly oblivious to Logan shooting a glare at Roman “I hope Virgil likes it.”</p><p>“I’m sure he will, Pat.” Roman said, turning back to the front “Let’s go, then?”</p><p>“Sounds good,” Patton replied, turning back to the front. Roman started the car. It was a twenty-minute drive to Virgil’s apartment. Logan stared out of the window at the sky. It had been a cloudy few days and he wondered if it was going to rain. Maybe he should have brought along an umbrella. It was a good thing he and Virgil caught the meteor shower when that night was the last clear one they had. It had been one perfectly cloudless sky, immediately followed by a perpetual blanket of grey. </p><p>If Logan were anyone but himself, he might have felt like something was keeping the sky clear for the two of them that night. </p><p> </p><p>Roman and Patton made casual conversation as they drove. Logan joined in every now and then, but his mind was too far away. He told himself that he would have to come back to the present soon. This was supposed to be a good evening and he didn’t want anyone to ask why he seemed so distracted. Objectively, Logan knew that he liked Virgil. He hadn’t given much thought to what that meant for him, what it meant for their friendship. He didn’t know what to do with all of his newfound feelings, he wanted to figure all of it out before he did anything about them. He didn’t know if he even wanted to do anything about them; he hadn’t gone down that road just yet. For now, he was just a guy on his way to his friend’s house because it was his birthday. His friend, Virgil, with whom he had a completely platonic relationship. He could manage that for this evening. </p><p> </p><p>The three of them climbed up the stairs to Virgil’s apartment and rang the doorbell. Virgil looked surprised when he opened the door to the three of them shouting “Happy Birthday!” in a somewhat synchronized manner. </p><p>“Hey, guys, thanks!” Virgil managed a grin, his eyes still widened from shock. He stepped aside to let them in “Come on in.”</p><p>Patton walked in first and set the cake down on Virgil’s coffee table. Roman put both his hands on Virgil’s back and pushed him to where Patton was standing. Logan watched as his friends laughed like a group of children. He did love these people.</p><p>Virgil grinned when he saw the cake. It was frosted with black and purple stripes: Virgil’s favourite colours. </p><p> </p><p>“Where are the matches?” Patton asked Virgil as he placed birthday candles at random spots on the cake.</p><p>“Uh, I think I’ve got some in the top drawer over there,” Virgil said, pointing to a set of drawers near the hallway. </p><p>“I’ll go get them.” Logan walked over to the drawer. He found a matchbox and joined the rest of his friends around Virgil’s coffee table. </p><p>“Make a wish!” Patton said once the candles had been lit. The corner of Virgil’s mouth lifted into a half-smile. He closed his eyes for a moment before blowing out the candles. Roman led the group into an off-key version of Happy Birthday as Virgil cut the cake. Once they were done, Roman smashed a piece of cake into Virgil’s face. He tried to look annoyed, which was difficult with the goofy smile plastered across his cake covered face. </p><p> </p><p>“Do you have to do that every year?” Virgil complained as he got up and walked off to wash his face.</p><p>“Of course! It’s traditional, kiddo.” Patton replied, stifling a giggle. </p><p>“We’re the same age, Pat!” Virgil protested from the bathroom</p><p>“It’s a waste of cake if you ask me,” Logan said.</p><p>“Thank you, Logan.” Virgil replied “He gets it”</p><p>“Logan, you’re next.” Roman threatened while holding up a plastic knife, earning laughs from Patton and Virgil. Logan only rolled his eyes in response. </p><p> </p><p>Two hours later, the four of them were still sitting on the floor of Virgil’s apartment. Two empty boxes of pizza and a half-eaten box of cake sat on the coffee table. Logan swirled his second glass of wine around, listening as Patton talked about his favourite species of birds. He had recently taken an interest in birdwatching and refused to stop talking about it. </p><p> </p><p>“All I’m saying is that ducks are majestic creatures.” Patton huffed, pushing his glasses back from his nose. </p><p>“Pat, if you’re going to talk about birds,” Roman countered “There <em> have </em>to be more interesting ones than ducks”</p><p>“But they have such cute little heads!” Patton said in the shrill voice that he reserved for animals “They’re fascinating little things”</p><p>“Patton, you say that about every living being” Virgil chided. Patton launched into another argument. </p><p>With all the attention on Patton, Logan glanced at Virgil. He let his eyes linger on his face for longer than he normally would have allowed himself. He watched as he took a sip of his wine and stifled a laugh. He was smiling and he had smile wrinkles on the corner of his eyes. Sometime during the evening, Virgil had pushed his bangs out of his face. It was a good look for him. ‘<em> He’s adorable’ </em> Logan found himself thinking ‘ <em> Objectively speaking, of course.’ </em>He wasn’t sure why he felt so lightheaded or why his heart started to pound every time he glanced in Virgil’s direction. Maybe it was because of the alcohol; could one and a half glasses of wine cause sinus tachycardia? Was he going to collapse? </p><p> </p><p>“Patton, please” Roman groaned, “You sound like Logan, I’m going to leave.” </p><p>“The types of ducks found in Florida isn’t a subject I’m well-versed in.” Logan frowned. </p><p>“You can’t <em> duck out </em> without us, Roman” Patton’s jokes were usually infuriating, but Logan found himself laughing. Roman groaned again and buried his head in his hands.</p><p>“I’m too sober for this.” He complained, still not looking up. </p><p>“You did volunteer to be designated driver,’ Virgil pointed out, trying not to laugh at his reaction “This is on you, Roman.” Roman looked up to shoot a glare at Virgil, who was still trying very hard to not laugh. </p><p>“Fuck all of you,” Roman muttered before lying back onto the carpet in frustration. </p><p> </p><p>The entire evening was a lighthearted affair, with jokes and jabs at each other and the occasional cushion thrown at faces. There was laughter, there was always laughter with the four of them. </p><p>Logan had always been someone that focused on what came next. That didn’t seem like a bad thing to him, he quite liked having a plan for where his life was going to go but it took him a while to realize that wanting to move forward didn’t have to mean ignoring the present. Patton was always telling him that he needed to focus on the here and now sometimes, or he was going to run himself into the ground. It wasn’t easy at first, he wasn’t entirely sure it was easy for him now, but it was easier with the three of them. With the three of them there, it felt like he had it all. He had his future to look forward to, and he had his present to enjoy. </p><p>He looked around the room, just as he had been doing all evening. He looked at the walls and the furniture looked down at the grey carpet he was sitting on. He looked at the faces of his friends, and he let himself linger on Virgil’s face once again. He looked down at his nearly empty glass of wine, swirling it around before finishing it. </p><p>He was happy in the present, and he had a future to look forward to. Logan smiled as he looked up again. </p><p> </p><p>*****</p><p> </p><p>Roman threw his present at Virgil, who managed to catch it somewhat clumsily. </p><p>“While I’m sure my presence here is enough of a gift,” Roman started, grinning, “I think you’re going to what I made you.” Virgil raised an eyebrow in his direction before tearing off the tape to reveal a dark purple shirt. His mouth fell open when he saw the collage of album covers on the front; He made out the art for My Chemical Romance’s <em> Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge </em> and Evanescence's <em> Synthesis </em> . He turned it around to show the others, earning <em> oohs </em>and nods of approval from Patton and Logan.</p><p>“Know that it pains me to give it to you,” Roman said, “Because I low-key wanted to keep it for myself.”</p><p>“I am going to wear this every day.” Virgil declared.</p><p>“Please wash it,” Roman replied, smiling. </p><p> </p><p>Patton made him a scrapbook filled with dorky selfies of the two of them and corny jokes written in his loopy handwriting. Virgil held up a section with the words <em> “You’re Fam-ILY” </em>written across two pages.</p><p>“Pat, I think this is the daddest dad joke you have ever made,” Virgil said, “I love it.”</p><p>“Thanks, kiddo!” </p><p>“We’re the same age.” Patton broke into a grin, and Virgil couldn’t help but smile back. </p><p> </p><p>Logan passed him a neatly wrapped present. He tore open the covering to reveal a copy of T.H. White’s <em> The Once and Future King. </em></p><p>“There it is,” Logan said, “Proof that it’s the sword in the <em> anvil. </em>” Virgil laughed when he understood what Logan was talking about. </p><p>A couple of months ago, the two of them had ended up in an argument about the Arthurian legend; Logan insisted that according to the book, Excalibur was stuck in an anvil and that the story <em> should </em>have been called the sword in the anvil instead of stone. Virgil thought he was joking, only Logan never joked about books. Over time, it had become a bit of an inside joke, something Virgil frequently brought up because it annoyed Logan and that was always funny to watch. </p><p>“If you think this is going to change my mind,” Virgil said, thoroughly amused “You are <em> so </em>wrong.”</p><p>“Of course.” Logan sighed before continuing “But it’s a great book.”</p><p>“I can’t wait to read it,” Virgil stifled another laugh “and then ignore everything it says.”</p><p>“You are insufferable,” Logan said, smiling. Virgil smiled back, before looking down at the book. </p><p>He wasn’t joking, he was looking forward to reading it, and he was looking forward to talking to Logan about it. He looked up at him again, in the middle of a conversation with Patton. He felt a smile creeping up onto his face. His eyes lingered for a good five seconds before he realized he was staring. He looked away, eyes moving around the room, landing on Roman who seemed to be looking at him like he had something funny on his face. <em> Shit. </em> Roman held his gaze for a couple of seconds before smirking and then turning away. <em> SHIT. </em>What was that supposed to mean?</p><p> </p><p>Logan got up and excused himself to the bathroom. Virgil looked down at his carpet, refusing to meet anyone’s eyes when Roman got up and walked over to where he was sitting. Virgil glanced up, wondering if there was a way he could melt into the floor and flow underground into a nuclear shelter and just stay there for a few years.</p><p>“Hey, Virge,” Roman said, sitting down. He turned to face Virgil “Are you okay?” </p><p>Virgil did not answer. </p><p>“Okay, just listen.” Roman started “I might be speaking out on a limb here, but do you...maybe, like Logan?” </p><p>Virgil stared at Roman’s face, blinking twice before speaking. “<em> What? </em>” </p><p>Roman smiled. It wasn’t his usual smile. This was softer, kinder. It was the sort of smile that would show up at the end of a movie you like, a reaction to the swelling music and shot of the sunset before the credits appeared. </p><p>“It’s yes or no question, take your time.”</p><p>Virgil thought about it. Logan had always been someone whose opinion he valued, someone he trusted. Logan kept him grounded better than anyone else, he was always calmer around him. </p><p>And it’s not like this was the first time he had asked himself that question. He thought about it four months ago after Logan called him after an exam, worried that he had screwed it up, going on and on and on about how maybe grad school wasn’t going to work for him; they’d talked on the phone for two hours, and Logan thanked him for being there which was silly because <em> of course </em>he would try to help Logan out after everything (He ended up doing pretty well. Virgil wasn’t surprised.). </p><p>He had thought about it after their sword in the stone debate, and during every single time he brought it up after that.</p><p>He had thought about it last weekend when they got back from their camping trip. He had thought about how he didn’t want it to end, about how he wanted to be there for as long as he could. It was there somewhere in his mind throughout the entire night of hearing Logan go on about space, how Virgil liked seeing him talk about the things he was passionate about. It was there in the morning when they watched the sunrise together. </p><p>Every time he thought about how he felt about Logan, he came up blank. He put it off, every time. He wasn’t sure if it was the fact that someone else had asked him or that he was slightly drunk or both, but his brain seemed to jump over all of his usual mental conversations straight to the answer. </p><p> </p><p>“I think so...yeah, <em> yes </em>” Virgil answered, after a brief silence. </p><p>“Well then,” Roman shifted next to him, “Are you going to do anything?”</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>“Are you going to tell him?”</p><p>Virgil hadn’t considered that. The idea made his head spin. A lump formed in his throat as he thought about it. <em> No, </em> he thought <em> Absolutely not. </em> Logan probably didn’t feel the same way. Virgil knew him well enough to know that he would definitely be nice about letting him down but there was <em> no </em>way he was going to do that, it sounded way too awkward. How would he even bring it up? What would he say? What-</p><p>“Because, well…” Roman interrupted his thoughts. He hesitated, as if not sure if he should finish his sentence. “Because I think that there’s a decent chance he might feel the same way.”</p><p>Virgil’s entire body stiffened. <em> What? </em>Roman had to be jumping to a conclusion, right? There was no way, absolutely no way. There couldn’t be. He looked back at Roman, who was waiting to see if Virgil was going to respond. </p><p>“What?” Virgil muttered, mostly to himself. </p><p>“Yes, well,” Roman chuckled nervously “Think about it.” As if Virgil was going to do anything else for at least the next week. Roman patted his shoulder before getting up to go back to his original place. Virgil sat there, staring at absolutely nothing for what felt like too long. He finally looked up when he heard the flush of his toilet. Logan walked back into his living room and plopped down on the couch. </p><p> </p><p>For the next twenty minutes, Virgil wasn’t entirely sure what happened. He vaguely registered what everyone else said and he could hear himself replying and laughing and rolling his eyes, but his mind was absent. So, Roman thought Logan liked him too. Where on <em> earth </em>did he pick that up from? Virgil knew Roman was a hopeless romantic, maybe he was just seeing things that weren’t there. Could he have spoken to Logan about it, too? Did Logan tell him something? Virgil didn’t know what to do. </p><p> </p><p>“We should probably get going,” Patton said, holding up his phone “It’s nearly eleven.”</p><p>“Yeah.” Virgil fell back into reality “I guess so.”</p><p>The four of them ended up talking for another five minutes before getting up. Virgil glanced at Logan, who was holding himself up with one hand propped against the head of the couch for balance. Virgil made sure they had all of their things with them before walking them to the door. </p><p>“See you guys again, soon.” Virgil said once they were at the door “Thanks for coming over.”</p><p>“Bye, kiddo” Patton replied as he pulled Virgil into a hug. For once, Virgil didn’t bother correcting him. </p><p>“Happy birthday again,” Roman said after Patton had let go of Virgil. </p><p>“Thanks” Roman responded with another hug. It seemed like he was going to have to hug everyone goodnight, but Virgil didn’t really mind.</p><p>“It’s the sword in the anvil,” Logan said, earning a laugh from Virgil. Logan smiled before being greeted by Virgil pulling him into a hug. Virgil was all too aware of Logan’s body in close proximity to his own, of his arms on his back. Virgil reluctantly pulled away after what he hoped wasn’t too long and he was probably imagining it, but it felt like Logan didn’t necessarily want to let him go either. </p><p>“Goodnight, Virge.” Logan adjusted his glasses before walking out the door with the others. </p><p>“Goodnight!” Virgil went to stand at his doorway, watching his friends leave “Get home safe.”</p><p> </p><p>Once they had disappeared down the stairs, he went back in and shut the door. His eyes fell on the copy of <em> The Once and Future King </em>that Logan had given him. He broke into a grin. His living room was a bit of a mess, he would clean it up and then go to bed.</p><p> </p><p>Virgil couldn’t seem to stop grinning, even as he settled in to go to sleep. He turned the lights off and rolled over to his side, one hand under his pillow. </p><p>He had some feelings to work through. The thought filled him with dread, but strangely enough, he was optimistic. He smiled as he closed his eyes and soon drifted off to sleep. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Fun fact: the idea to use the words in the title of the story for each chapter started out as a placeholder for any actual chapter titles because I was too lazy to think but I eventually decided to just go with it. </p><p>But either way, thanks for reading!<br/>I hope you have a great day,<br/>-Abby</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Lightning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A thunderstorm traps Logan and Virgil inside together, so that they can finally talk.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is it! This is the last chapter.</p><p>Thank you to everyone that has read this, and I hope you enjoy this ending.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Virgil couldn’t sleep. </p><p>He had been tossing and turning for hours and it was nearly three in the morning, but he couldn’t seem to fall asleep. It was New Year’s day and he was at his parents’ house. He missed them when he was away but he never really slept well when he was there. He hadn’t lived in this town since he was eighteen, everything was too unfamiliar. </p><p> </p><p><em> This isn’t going to work </em>he thought to himself, getting out of bed. He pulled his hoodie over himself, poured himself a glass of water, and went outside to the garden. </p><p>The sky was clear, it was nowhere near as starry as the night he and Logan watched the geminids but it was still mesmerizing to look at. He found himself lying down on the grass, trying to see if he could make out any of the stars Logan had told him about. He recognized Orion, that one was easy. To the left, he made out two stars- Castor and Pollux. He didn’t know which one was which and he couldn’t make out the rest of Gemini, but he was glad he remembered that.</p><p>Virgil had thought about that night a lot since he got back home, and more so since the night of his birthday. <em> I think there’s a decent chance he might feel the same way, </em>Roman had said.</p><p>He sounded so sure of himself, Virgil didn’t know what to make of it. He thought about telling him. He almost texted Logan about it, but he couldn’t bring himself to. It was too nerve-wracking and he felt like it was a conversation that he couldn’t have over a phone. </p><p>He liked Logan a lot. He wasn’t sure how he had managed to argue himself out of that realization every time he wondered how he felt because he couldn’t get it out of his head. He liked Logan a lot. He missed him too much. When his mother brought up the customary <em> “Are you seeing anyone, honey?” </em>he had nearly choked on his mashed potatoes. Of course, they weren’t together, but Virgil liked him a lot. Enough to want to talk to him about it just so he could see if the idea of the two of them together could ever be a reality. Of course, he was also scared out of his mind; the thought of losing a good friendship because of some pesky romantic feelings wasn’t pleasant. He didn’t want to lose Logan. </p><p> </p><p>He could see more stars now that his eyes had gotten used to the dark. Logan talked about the stars with an unparalleled fondness. Virgil loved how he all but lit up when someone asked him a question about them, the way he responded with an enthusiasm that made it impossible for you to not want to be interested, the way he could go on for hours without stopping. If he were here, he would definitely have things to say about the stars. </p><p>There it was again, an ache. He missed him. The two of them had plans to meet up once Virgil got back in town, he couldn’t wait. </p><p>Virgil eventually went back to bed, he was starting to get tired. He drew his knees closer to his chest and pulled his blanket around him more tightly. He closed his eyes, feeling himself slip away into sleep. <em> He couldn’t wait.  </em></p><p> </p><p>*****</p><p> </p><p>Virgil and Logan ran into Logan’s apartment, clothes damp from the rain that seemed to be picking up. They had planned to spend their afternoon outside; Logan had been hoping to con Virgil into going to his favourite bookstore with him but then it started to rain. He clutched his cup of coffee tightly as he shut the door, grateful for the warmth seeping out. Outside, the drops gained velocity making everything outside seem draped with a sheet of white. </p><p> </p><p>“Do you need a change of clothes?” Logan asked “I can probably find something for you”</p><p>“Yeah, that sounds good.” Virgil was breathing heavily from running up the stairs. </p><p>Logan threw Virgil a black hoodie and some sweatpants and pulled out some fresh clothes for himself. He changed quickly, wanting to get back to his coffee before it cooled down, and plopped down on the couch. Virgil joined him a while later.</p><p> </p><p>Logan tried not to stare at Virgil as he walked into the living room and sat down next to him. It hadn’t been just the two of them since the geminids. He had been looking forward to today, but he was at a loss for words. He turned his attention to his coffee, trying not to focus on the fact that Virgil was wearing his hoodie or how his bangs had condensed into thin lines on his forehead from the rain. He wasn’t sure what to say. </p><p>“Well, there goes our plans for today.” Virgil said, breaking the silence “The weather report said it wasn’t going to rain today.”</p><p>“Well, the weather is hard to predict.” Logan took another sip of his coffee. “What do you want to do?”</p><p>“I’m not sure.” Virgil sank backwards into a cushion, making himself comfortable. </p><p>“Well, I was planning on tricking you into coming to the bookstore with me but that’s not happening now.” Virgil laughed, and Logan felt the familiar fluttering in his chest that he had learned to associate with Virgil. </p><p>“Speaking of, I’ve been meaning to tell you,” Virgil started “I finished reading <em> The Once and Future King. </em>”</p><p>“And?”</p><p>“I loved it,” Virgil grinned “I’m still saying The Sword in the <em> Stone, </em>though”</p><p>“But it’s canonically <em> wrong. </em>”</p><p>“The first part is called <em> The Sword in the Stone! </em>”</p><p>“A name that I disagree with.”</p><p>“Whatever you say, L” </p><p> </p><p>The two of them ended up just talking, side by side. The rain didn’t seem like it was going to be slowing down. Now and then, bursts of light would shine through the windows followed by claps of thunder. They seemed to be stuck for a while.</p><p>Logan looked over at Virgil, who was checking his phone. The storm outside had darkened the room and Logan hadn’t bothered to turn a light on. The glow from the phone screen highlighted Virgil’s face. He seemed sharper, more real. Logan sometimes couldn’t believe that Virgil was real. As he sat across from him, glowing in the dark, he felt so real. It was almost mesmerizing. Logan found everything about him mesmerizing. </p><p> </p><p>He really should just tell him. </p><p>Logan had thought about it and objectively speaking, nothing was going to go wrong. He had a perfect opportunity, just the two of them. </p><p>He just didn’t know how to bring it up. </p><p> </p><p>Logan closed his eyes, taking in the sound of the rain. It calmed him down, listening as raindrops fell to the earth. They were fascinating little things.</p><p>“Raindrops are pretty cool” Logan said, before he could stop himself.</p><p>“Hmm?” Virgil turned to face Logan. He bit his tongue before continuing. </p><p>“Raindrops. They would just fall at an ever-increasing velocity if it wasn’t for air resistance,” Logan continued, moving his hands around as he spoke “The air pushes the drop upwards and it’s acceleration slows to zero, and then it just falls at terminal velocity.”</p><p>“Oh,” Virgil thought to himself for a second “Doesn’t that make air resistance the cool thing, though?”</p><p>“Well, maybe so” Logan sighed, “Physics is wonderful” Out of the corner of his eyes, he made out a smile spreading across Virgil’s face. He smiled back before shutting his eyes again, maybe there was some more physics he could talk about with Virgil. How lightning forms was fascinating, too.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Logan?” Virgil interrupted his thoughts “There’s...there’s something…” Logan opened one eye to look at Virgil. He looked worried about something. Logan pushed himself upright, giving him his full attention. </p><p>“What?” He asked, his heart starting to pound.</p><p>“Well, funny thing, I talked to Roman.” Virgil looked up at the ceiling nervously “Well, it’s more like Roman talked to me about something and, well…”</p><p>“Did he tell you I liked you?” Logan tried to ignore the lightness in his head. He was going to <em> kill </em>Roman if he did anything of the sort-</p><p>“Well, not exactly.” Virgil had started fidgeting with the cuffs of Logan’s hoodie “It’s more like he thought you might and that I should talk to you about it because, well, you know.”</p><p>“What?” Logan wondered if Virgil could hear his heart thumping against his chest. </p><p>“Christ, I’ve never done this before.” Virgil laughed nervously </p><p>“What?” Logan repeated. His brain had started to put together bits of information, nothing that made much sense to him. The gist of it was simple enough at face value but he couldn’t wrap his head around it. </p><p>Virgil raised an eyebrow, tilting his head to the left as if trying to understand a difficult equation. He laughed nervously before speaking.</p><p>“Oh, you actually don’t know what I’m saying.” Virgil sighed “I thought I was being obvious.”</p><p>“Virgil, what are you-”</p><p>“For the galaxy-brained genius that you are, you are <em> so </em>obtuse”</p><p>“What does me liking galaxies have to do with this?” Logan frowned, earning another laugh from Virgil.</p><p>“Logan, no, I’m just trying to say you’re smart,” Virgil shook his head “I need to catch you up on some more memes.” Logan was starting to feel almost dizzy, his stomach felt like it was flopping around like a slinky. He just wanted Virgil to say what he meant before his heart broke out of the bony prison that was his thoracic cavity. It was still thudding against his chest, too fast. It felt like it was beating too fast. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.  </p><p>“Logan, I…” His eyes widened as he noticed Logan’s expression “Are you okay?” Virgil reached out to hold Logan’s hands, holding him gently “Logan?”</p><p>“He wasn’t wrong” Logan blurted out “Virgil, I do really like you.” For a moment, the only sound was the rain falling outside and he thought that he may have made a terrible mistake. But he looked down, and Virgil was still holding his hands. </p><p>“Well that makes things easier for me,” Virgil smiled again, slowly “because I feel the same way.”</p><p>“<em> What? </em>” </p><p>“You know, you’ve said that a lot over the past couple of minutes” Virgil locked eyes with Logan “I like you too, Logan.”</p><p>
  <em> Oh.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Logan was quiet for a little too long. Virgil stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to say something. He was still holding his hands, he was still smiling. </p><p>A clap of thunder brought Logan back to reality. He turned to fully face Virgil a little too suddenly, loosening Virgil’s grip on his hands. He looked concerned now. Logan saw him opening his mouth ever so slightly, presumably to ask him if he was alright. <em> Well, he can do that later, </em> Logan thought. </p><p>He leaned forward before Virgil could say anything else, closing the gap between their mouths. Virgil seemed taken aback, but he melted right into the kiss. Logan slid his hands out of Virgil’s, bringing them up to his face. Virgil brought his hands up, holding Logan by the waist. Outside, rain still pelted down, filling the room with a sound like muted artillery. It had taken a while, it had taken the time it takes for a meteor shower to morph into a thunderstorm. Probably longer, but it had all been worth it. </p><p>Logan pulled away, resting his forehead against Virgil’s. They stayed like that in silence for a while. The corners of Logan’s mouth lifted, going from a smile to a grin. </p><p>“Well, that’s certainly good news.” Logan whispered. Virgil smiled softly before leaning in again.</p><p> </p><p>*****</p><p> </p><p>It had been a good four months. </p><p> </p><p>They had been busy. Between Virgil working and Logan drowning in papers to submit, they couldn’t spare much time for dates. The days they did manage to spend time together were the best ones; they were usually quiet nights filled with conversation and cookies and cream ice cream, forehead kisses and Virgil’s music. </p><p>Telling their friends had been fun. Roman hadn’t said much, but he had a stupid grin on his face the whole time. Patton had been ecstatic and had nearly started planning their wedding before Virgil coughed awkwardly and changed the topic. </p><p>All things considered, it had been a good four months. </p><p> </p><p>It was raining again. Neither of them had been together on a stormy day since the first day, and they couldn’t help but reminisce. </p><p>“You looked like you were going to throw up.” Virgil laughed as he pulled back the sheets to get ready for bed.</p><p>“That’s probably because I felt like I <em> was </em>going to throw up,” Logan admitted “But in my defense, I had no idea what was happening and you weren’t helping.”</p><p>“You weren’t the only nervous one, L” </p><p> </p><p>Thunder boomed outside as they climbed into bed. Logan took off his glasses before turning to his side to face Virgil. It had been a relaxing day. Logan had miraculously managed to secure a free weekend and they had spent all of that Saturday together. They mostly stayed indoors, cooking and playing board games. It had been a perfect day, but he was starting to feel more tired. </p><p>Logan put an arm around Virgil as he turned off the light. A flash of lightning lit up the room for just a moment.</p><p>“Hey,” Virgil whispered “You remember that sunrise? The morning we watched the meteor shower.”</p><p>“I do, of course” </p><p>“Well, back then I was thinking,” Virgil paused to yawn “I was wondering, why do sunrises and sunsets look so different?” Logan smiled slowly.</p><p>“Oh, well. The air is different in the morning than the evening” Logan felt Virgil shifting, fully turning towards him “Morning air has less dust in it since there’s less activity at night time, everything settles down by the time the sun rises. That changes the way sunlight scatters through the air.”</p><p>“Huh.” Virgil moved closer.</p><p>“But most of it is just flawed perception,” Logan continued, “When the sky darkens, our eyes don’t adapt as well as they do when the sky lightens “They’re not too different”</p><p>“How do you just...know everything?” Logan could feel Virgil’s warmth radiating off of him.</p><p>“No one <em> knows </em>everything,” Logan murmured “But google is free and I have a lot of questions about the universe.”</p><p>“You’re cute when you talk about science, Lo” Virgil leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Logan’s lips. Logan chuckled softly when they pulled apart, wrapping his arms around Virgil tightly. He loved how Virgil listened and cared, even when he didn’t have to. He loved that he was so warm under his arms. He loved that he had this free day to spend with him because he loved...Virgil. He loved him so much. </p><p>He hadn’t told him yet, but he loved him. </p><p> </p><p>Virgil yawned again.</p><p>“You should sleep, Virge” Logan muttered, brushing a kiss against his forehead. </p><p>“Yeah,” Virgil breathed “You know, I always sleep better when you’re around” Logan raised his hands up to his head, brushing aside his hair.</p><p>“I’m glad,” Logan chuckled. He barely realized what he was saying before he heard himself speak again “I love you” Logan felt Virgil’s body go tense, worrying for a moment that he had spoken too soon. He was sure of how he felt, for once in his life, but he was scared that Virgil wasn't ready to hear that just yet. He didn’t want to force anything on him if he wasn’t ready. He felt a stab of regret as he thought about it. Maybe it was a mistake. </p><p>“Hey, you don’t have to say anything,” Logan turned to lie on his back “I shouldn’t have said anything.”</p><p>“First of all, come back here” Logan nervously rolled back to face him, slipping an arm around him “Second, I love you too.” A chill ran down Logan’s spine</p><p>“Virgil-”</p><p>“No, I do.” Logan couldn’t make out much of Virgil’s face from the light from passing cars outside without his glasses, but it looked like he was smiling “I just wasn’t expecting it” Logan smiled before leaning in to kiss Virgil. He felt Virgil smile against his mouth. “I love you, Logan” He whispered.</p><p>“I love you,” Logan softly kissed his forehead again “Now, go to sleep?” Virgil laughed.</p><p>“Sure thing, L”</p><p><br/>Logan couldn’t stop himself from smiling like a fool. Outside, the rain sounded like it was slowing down. It had been a good four months, and maybe it was still too soon to say anything, but he never wanted things to change. There would be more <em> I love you </em>’s, more nights spent holding each other, more soft smiles and kisses. There would be more starry nights and sunrises, more birthdays, and more storms. Logan closed his eyes, feeling his muscles relax, ready to go to sleep. The last thought he had as he drifted off was that it might be too soon to say, but he hoped it all never ended.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Aaaaannnndd that's all from me for a while.<br/>Thank you if you took the time to read all of this<br/>Let me know what you thought of it!</p><p>-Abby</p>
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